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Coach’s Corner: The defense never rests

Tony Vallance has been coaching at the college level for the past 11 years including stops at Dean Junior College, Muhlenberg College, Bellarmine University and most recently Fairfield University. Originally from Maryland, he played goalie at Penn State University where he graduated in 1998. He is currently the Director of Lacrosse Instruction at the House of Sports, located […]

Player’s perspective: William Sands, Friends Academy (NY) attackman

Friends has become a force. In Long Island, Class C that is. Friends Academy has advanced to the Nassau County Class C championship game the last two years, falling to Cold Spring Harbor each time. Can the Quakers break through with a title this year? For more, we turn to William Sands. One of the […]

Player’s perspective: Jack Lambert, John Jay (NY) defenseman

Jack Lambert and John Jay will be tested from right the start. The Indians’ annual showdown against rival Yorktown, regarded as the unofficial game of the year in Section 1 (NY) boys lax, is scheduled for Week 1 of the regular season, on Saturday, March 30 at 7 p.m. at JJHS. In the teams’ last […]

St. Augustine Prep (NJ) FOGO Fox finds the right fit in Fairfield

Chalk up another one for St. Augustine’s Prep. We reported yesterday that the New Jersey power, which has averaged 17 wins per season the last five years, saw sophomore midfielder James Kitchen verballed to Hofstra. Another Hermits’ player has also decided his Division I future. He’s Will Fox. The 5-foot-8, 185-pound junior faceoff midfielder has […]

Player’s perspective: JJ McDaid, Chaminade (NY)

The first national high school rankings of the 2013 season have been released and Chaminade is flying high. The Flyers drew the No. 2 ranking, behind No. 1 Boys Latin (Md.), in the Under Armour/Inside Lacrosse High School Power Rankings. We continue our preseason coverage of the Flyers by hearing from JJ McDaid. The senior […]

St. Augustine Prep (NJ) sophomore Kitchen headed to Hofstra

It’s safe to say that James Kitchen’s best lacrosse is ahead of him. The sophomore at New Jersey power St. Augustine has all the ingredients of a major Division I midfielder. So it should come as no surprise that the 6-foot-3, 185-pound righty has committed to Hofstra University. “JK is a very promising young midfielder,” […]

Player’s perspective: Chris Santangelo, Rye (NY) midfielder

When Rye beat Putnam Valley 10-5 in the 2008 Section 1 (N.Y.) Class C final, it marked the Garnets’ fourth straight sectional title and 19th straight win. But Rye has been denied another title in the four seasons since then, the last two of which have been in Class B. How do the Garnets look […]

Player’s perspective: Pat O’Brien, Smithtown West (NY) attackman

It was a race that went right down to the wire. We just wrapped up our latest poll question in our latest “You make the call” feature which asked who you thought would win the always heated race in Section 11 (Suffolk County) Class A. Your choice – defending New York State Class A champion […]

You make the call: Who will win the CHSAA (NY) Division AAA title?

Some high school teams in parts of the nation have already started their regular seasons. But among teams in the nation’s No. 1 hotbed for lacrosse, the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut tristate region, we’re still a few weeks away from the first openers. So that gives us some time to continue traversing the tristate to get […]

Sacred Heart lands commitment from athletic middie Wyman

With the official announcement expected to come Tuesday that former Mets and Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine will become its athletic director, Sacred Heart University is very much in the news. The Pioneers also made their mark on the lacrosse recruiting scene this past week, landing a verbal commitments from one of the top juniors […]

Player’s perspective: Brian Prunty, Lakeland/Panas (NY) attackman

In just over a month, the Rebels will be playing for real. After weeks and weeks of preparation, perennial Section 1 (N.Y.) Class A title contender Lakeland/Panas starts the regular season with a March 28 game at Arlington. LP last won the sectional title in 2010 before losing to West Islip in the state semifinals. […]

ESG postponement, big recruiting commitments top tristate news

The Empire State Games’ planned 2013 return will not be happening. The relaunch of the Games after a two-year hiatus has been postponed until 2014 because of lack of funding. There were also some major recruiting commitments this past week, including two-time New York State Class C semifinalist Bronxville’s fifth Division I commit and a […]

Empire State Games’ planned 2013 return pushed to 2014

The Empire State Games’ planned 2013 return will not be happening. The return of the Summer Games was set for Rochester in July, but a lack of funding has resulted in the postponement of the return of the Games till 2014, the ESG Foundation said. Here is the official announcement posted on the Empire State […]

Player’s perspective: Kieran Byrnes, Garden City (NY) attackman

Photo above by Newsphoto.com The eyes of the lacrosse world will be focused on Baltimore on March 23 for the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium. Colgate faces Navy in Game 1 at 2 p.m., followed by a 4:30 p.m. clash between Virginia and Johns Hopkins. The day begins with a premier high […]

News & Notes: Lax’s rise in Florida explored; more headlines

It’s no secret lacrosse participation is booming nationally. That’s especially evident now in Florida, where many football players are finding playing the sport is a perfect companion. The Miami Herald examines that trend. Meanwhile, in the longtime lax hotbed of Baltimore, Loyola College has started its quest of what would be an unprecedented second straight […]

Tewaaraton men’s, women’s watch lists released today

From Tewaaraton Foundation Press Release WASHINGTON, February 22, 2013 – The Tewaaraton Foundation has announced the 2013 Tewaaraton Award men’s and women’s watch lists. The lists include the top players across all three divisions of NCAA lacrosse and highlight the early contenders for the 2013 Tewaaraton Award. Among 2013 watch lists returnees are reigning Tewaaraton […]

Player’s perspective: Quinn Mendelson, Staples (CT) midfielder

Staples is back in the mix in Connecticut lacrosse. After three straight losing seasons from 2006-08, the Wreckers have reeled off four straight winning seasons, including an 18-2 record in Paul McNulty’s first year as head coach in 2010. How does 2013 shape up for Staples? For some answers to that question, we turn to […]

Kaser will take his stick skills and smarts to Binghamton

It’s been a sweet week for SweetLax. If you’ve been following Twitter.com/joe_lombardi, you know that the travel program has had three Division I commitments in just over 24 hours. Matt Kaser is among the trio. The senior attackman/midfielder from Spencerport High School (N.Y.) in the Rochester area committed to Binghamton University. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound right-hander, […]

Coach’s Corner: Breaking down the new pace-of-play rules

Tony Vallance has been coaching at the college level for the past 11 years including stops at Dean Junior College, Muhlenberg College, Bellarmine University and most recently Fairfield University. Originally from Maryland, he played goalie at Penn State University where he graduated in 1998. He is currently the Director of Lacrosse Instruction at the House of Sports, located […]

New York has among the most heated and competitive high school leagues in the country. None more so than Suffolk County Class A. Though West Islip has dominated the last decade, that is not indicative of the fact that there are annually four to five teams within the league that could easily be state title […]

Upstate NY sophomore star Easterly will head south to Loyola

It hasn’t taken Richie Easterly to make his mark on the varsity level in both football and lacrosse. The sophomore at Westhill High School (NY) in Syracuse earned the starting quarterback job as a freshman. That followed a spring in which, as an eighth-grader, he earned a spot on the man-up unit, before going on […]

NY state champ SWR’s Cummings commits to Mount St. Mary’s

At first glance, Tom Cummings wasn’t overly familiar with the Mount St. Mary’s College (Md.) program. But the more he learned, the more he liked. “When I first began to look at where I might have an opportunity to play lacrosse at the college level, I wasn’t really familiar with Mount Saint Mary’s,” said the […]

Predicting Jamesville-Dewitt will once again contend for a New York state championship is hardly going out on a limb. After all, the Red Rams have won three state titles the last five seasons. How does JD look heading into 2013? For a look, we turn to Justin Diamond. The senior attackman is bound for Boston […]

Georgetown-bound Behrens gives Bronxville (NY) five D-I commits

Two-time New York State Class C semifinalist Bronxville has a record. Junior attackman Matt Behrens’ verbal commitment to Georgetown University, which was first reported on Twitter.com/joe_lombardi, gives the Broncos five Division I-bound players. Behrens, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound lefty, is an effective feeder/finisher with a strong shot, good field vision and the ability to use either […]

Ohio football star Berning commits to Richmond for lacrosse

He runs a 4.65 in the 40-yard dash, squats 415 pounds and bench presses 245. If it sounds like Ryan Berning is a college football prospect, it’s because he is. The 6-foot, 180-pound senior at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati (shown at right in both photos above), in fact, had 17 tackles from his […]

Syracuse-bound Chavez, three other NY commits top tristate news

Commitments by four New York State standouts — Syracuse University-bound Rye High School junior defender Lazarus Chavez and three sophomores — were the big stories this past week in tristate news. That, along with the latest batch of preseason player perspectives, are among the topics in Joe Lombardi’s latest column for InsideLacrosse.com. Have a recruiting […]

Player’s perspective: JD Colarusso, Arlington (NY) goaltender

Arlington’s boys lacrosse team is in the midst of a rapid rise and one of there are two initials that are among the reasons that the Admirals have risen to title-contender status in New York’s Section 1 Class A. JD. As in JD Colarusso. The last line of defense, the senior goaltender has helped Arlington […]

Player’s perspective: Bryce Jurk, Trinity-Pawling (NY) midfielder

With a total of 14 college-bound players, expectations are high at the Trinity-Pawling School in New York’s Hudson Valley, which competes in the highly regarded Founders League. Sacred Heart University-bound Bryce Jurk is among nine T-P seniors set to take their games to the next level. A 6-foot-1, 175-pound midfielder, Jurk is especially adept at […]

News & Notes: Ranking the Top 25 college players; more headlines

Who are the Top 25 players in collegiate men’s lacrosse? Analyst Quint Kessenich, the former Johns Hopkins goaltender, gives his take in this story for the Baltimore Sun. In other headlines from this past week: * Pietramala eyes improvement on Hopkins’ attack * VCU to add women’s lacrosse in 2015-16 * Virginia looks to reload […]

Webster Schroeder (NY) soph goaltender Klan opts for Ohio State

There’s been a steady stream of sophomore college commitments we’ve been reporting on the last couple of weeks. One of them came from the Rochester, N.Y., area — Webster Thomas midfielder Kevin Hill announced his intentions to attend Penn State. Chalk up another one from a high school just a mile and a half away: […]

Player’s perspective: Mike Calvagna, Sachem North (NY) midfielder

The race for the top spot in Suffolk County Class A is attracting a lot of discussion — and votes in our latest poll. One team that is always in the hunt but has lacked some preseason buzz in 2013 is Sachem North. For more on the Flaming Arrows, we turn to Mike Calvagna. The […]

HS preseason training at the House of Sports Feb. 25-March 18

The House of Sports wants to help you prepare for lacrosse season. Its staff of elite level coaches, led by the No. 3 player in the world, Ned Crotty, is ready to bring your game to the next level. The House of Sports is now offering high school players the opportunity to participate in four […]

Player’s perspective: Ross Schnitzer, Iona Prep (NY) defender

It was a fantastic finish for Iona Prep last season. The Gaels rallied back from a three-goal fourth-quarter deficit to beat rival Fordham Prep 10-9 for their fifth New York CHSAA Division AA title in the last six years. How does Iona Prep look in 2013? For more, we turn to Ross Schnitzer. The 6-foot-4, […]

Rye (NY) junior Chavez reflects on his choice of Syracuse

To say Lazarus Chavez’s best lacrosse is ahead of him would be hard to argue. “The sky’s the limit for his game,” said former Yorktown High School (NY) and Johns Hopkins defensive standout Chris Watson of Chavez, a junior defender at Rye High School (NY). Lazarus, an athletic, on-ball defender who excels in transition, verbally […]

Player’s perspective: Will Bonaparte, Ridgefield (CT) midfielder

Ridgefield’s first game in its quest for a third straight appearance in the Connecticut Class L title game won’t be for six weeks, when the Tigers host Greenwich on April 3. But they have been doing plenty of work in preparation for that season-opener, and the official start of practice. We continue our preseason look […]

Rye (NY) junior Chavez verbally commits to Syracuse

Rye (NY) junior Laz Chavez, an athletic, on-ball defender who excels in transition, has verbally committed to Syracuse University. The 6-foot, 195-pound Chavez, who also plays football, enjoyed a strong summer playing for former Yorktown High School and Division I collegiate standouts Chris Watson (Johns Hopkins) and Mike McCall (North Carolina) with the Westchester Predators. […]

Player’s perspective: Nick Capuano, Massapequa (NY) defenseman

Mark it down. Massapequa will be one of the teams playing in the Nassau County Class A title game. That may be a bold prediction to make, but then again, when you look at what’s happened the last three years, it may considered a pretty safe pick. That’s because the Chiefs have in the the […]

Westchester Warriors to host free lacrosse clinic

A free lacrosse clinic is scheduled for Monday, March 4 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Brewster Sports Center in Brewster, N.Y., for players in grades 8-12 and hosted by the Westchester Warriors. For more, check the Warriors’ website. LAXLESSONS Links Schedules scanner Links to 2013 men’s and women’s collegiate and boys and […]

Putnam Valley wants to get back. The Tigers, who have enjoyed success almost from the outset since launching a varsity boys lacrosse program in 2003, last made it to the New York State tournament in 2010. But in the two years since then, Bronxville has won back-to-back Section 1 Class C titles. If PV is […]

Two of the top sophomore standouts in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut region gave verbal commitments to Duke and Towson. That, along with the latest batch of preseason player perspectives, are among the topics in Joe Lombardi’s latest column for InsideLacrosse.com. Have a recruiting commitment to report? Email us at info@laxlessons.com. LAXLESSONS Links Schedules scanner Links […]

Webster Thomas sophomore standout Hill picks Penn State

It’s been a busy stretch for sophomore commits. In just the last week, we told you about three of them: Mountain Lakes (N.Y.) midfielder Brad Smith (Duke), Arlington (N.Y.) attackman/midfielder Brendan Sunday (Towson) and Trinity-Pawling (N.Y.) attackman Thomas Bianchin (Providence). Chalk up another one. For this commitment, we head out to western New York, just […]

Player’s perspective: Brian Balkam, Smithtown East (NY) goaltender

You never know what’s going to happen when East meets West. As in Smithtown East and Smithtown West, that is. We’ve been talking a lot about the race for the top spot in Suffolk County’s Division 1. And even if Smithtown East and Smithtown West weren’t right in the thick of things — which they […]

You make the call: Who will win the Section 11 (NY) Class A title?

With the official start of varsity boys lacrosse practice in the tristate getting closer and closer, be sure to vote in our latest poll, which asks, “Who do you think should be the favorite to win the Suffolk County (Section 11, N.Y.) Division 1 title?” To vote, go to the right panel of this page. […]

News & notes: Growth of D-I women’s game explored; more headlines

Women’s lacrosse is growing at a rapid pace at the Division I level, with no signs of stopping. That’s subject of a feature story published Feb. 6 in the Baltimore Sun. In other headlines from this past week: * Game times set for men’s championship games * Sacred Heart University employs hidden-ball trick * HS […]

Trinity-Pawling (NY) standout gives Providence first soph commit

Providence College has tapped into the Class of 2015 for its first recruit. It’s Thomas Bianchin. A lefty attackman, Bianchin transferred to Trinity-Pawling School (N.Y.) from Bishop Ryan Catholic in Hamilton, Ontario. Bianchin is an explosive player who is adept at feeding and finishing, as evidenced by his highlight reel. Now, here’s a Q&A with […]

Player’s perspective: Brian Cannon, Northport (NY) attackman

Northport is on the rise. The Tigers, after all, have improved their record in each of the last three seasons. Considering they play in one of the nation’s most competitive conferences — Division 1 in Suffolk County on Long Island — that’s quite an accomplishment. After all, Division 1 includes West Islip, Smithtown West, Smithtown […]

Player’s perspective: Grant Limone, Weston (CT) goaltender

Grant Limone has some big goals for both himself and his Weston (Conn.) lacrosse team this coming spring. But you’ll have to excuse the standout goaltender who has verbally committed to defending national champion Loyola for taking a bit of a break from the sport during the winter months. That’s because the 6-foot-3 junior is […]

Free youth lacrosse clinic set for Pace University

Pace University in Pleasantville, N.Y., will be hosting a free clinic open to players from grade 1 through grade 8 on Saturday, March 30 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Participants will receive a Youth Day T-shirt. Instructors will be the players and coaches on Pace’s men’s lacrosse team. To register, contact Zach Dayton at […]

Player’s perspective: Shawn Smith, John Jay (NY) midfielder

You’ll have to excuse Shawn Smith if his entire sports focus these days isn’t centered on the official start of varsity lacrosse practice and tryouts on March 11. You see, the John Jay (N.Y.) junior is a key member of the Indians’ ice hockey team that sports a 16-1-1 record and 10-0-1 mark in league […]

Mountain Lakes (NJ) sophomore Smith decides on Duke

Brad Smith fits the mold of a major Division I midfielder perfectly. The sophomore at New Jersey power Mountain Lakes has good size, athleticism, field vision, dodging ability and a high lacrosse IQ. Those attributes made him a target of many of the nation’s top programs. Late last month, as first reported at Twitter.com/joe_lombardi, Smith […]

Towson-bound Sunday is first sophomore commit for Arlington (NY)

Brendan Sunday has provided Arlington High School (NY) with a noteworthy first. The attackman/midfielder has become the first boys lacrosse player in program history to make a college commitment. As first reported late last month at Twitter.com/joe_lombardi, Sunday has decided on Towson University. At 6-foot-4, 182 pounds, Sunday has exceptional size to go along with […]

Player’s perspective: Matt Cortese, Garden City (NY) goaltender

Garden City has no shortage of players who helped the Trojans win the Long Island Championship in football this past fall, but whose focus has now shifted to winning a second straight New York State title in lacrosse. We’ve heard from one of them, Boston University-bound senior midfielder Brian Badgett. Matt Cortese is another. A […]

Chaminade, Fordham Prep looking to unseat their CHSAA rivals

The CHSAA championship races are always interesting. This season should be no exception as Chaminade will look to unseat St. Anthony’s in Division AAA and Fordham Prep will look to avenge last year’s one-goal lost to Iona Prep in the Division AA title game. That is among the topics in Joe Lombardi’s latest column for […]

Player’s perspective: Brian Ward, Bayport-Blue Point (NY), attackman

Bayport-Blue Point was one of the surprise teams in the high school lacrosse universe in 2011, making an unlikely trip to the New York State Class C championship game. Last year, the Phantoms finished 12-6, and again ended the season by losing to the eventual state champion — this time it was against Shoreham-Wading River […]

Player’s perspective: Tim Covel, Cheshire (CT) defender

Tim Covel is part of a proud few. The three-sport athlete. So for the senior defenseman/long-stick midfielder at Cheshire High School (Conn.), preparing for the start of the lacrosse season is a bit of a different process. That doesn’t mean that Covel, who will attend Connecticut Connecticut, doesn’t have a stick in his hand during […]

Player’s perspective: Brewster Warble, Bronxville (NY) midfielder

Can Bronxville three-peat? That will be one of the major storylines entering the season in Section 1 in New York, where the Broncos have won back-to-back Class C titles. Bronxville beat Hen Hud 12-6 in last year’s sectional title game after defeating Byram Hills 15-6 ion the 2011 final. The Broncos advanced to the state […]